


The Final

by galaxy_houseplants



Series: Carry On Countdown 2018 [20]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Carry On Countdown (Simon Snow), Football, M/M, Soccer, Sports, an unsporty person writing about sports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 19:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16980156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxy_houseplants/pseuds/galaxy_houseplants
Summary: Baz plays football. Simon's his biggest fan.





	The Final

**Author's Note:**

> By football, I mean 'soccer', because my boys are English.  
> Also, COC day 20!

“I can’t believe this is my last football game at Watford. It’s insane.” Baz said, pulling on his kit. Simon stayed lying on his bed, playing on his phone. “Like, we’ve been here for five years and this is it. I’m going to miss the team.”

“Yeah, but you got a scholarship for your football, so it’s not like you’re done.” Simon put his phone down and sat up. “And, this is the first game where I’m going as your boyfriend, so.”

“God, I can’t believe we’ve loved each other for two years and didn’t say it or get together! I’m expecting you to be cheering like anything to make up for it!”

“I will. It’s the final, so of course. And, when you finish, I will come down to the edge of the pitch and kiss your face off, no matter the result.” Simon said. Baz smirked, and grabbed a hair tie to pull his hair off his face before leaning down to kiss Simon. It still amazed him that those kinds of kisses, just casual ones, were something that happened regularly and they both initiated. Once, Simon kissed him goodbye as he was leaving Simon’s house one morning after a sleepover, and it just about gave him a heart attack with the pure domesticity of it. 

“Yeah, that would be greatly appreciated. If you feel comfortable with at least half of the student body knowing about us.”

“I mean, that’s fine by me. People have known about our sexualities for ages, and they also know that we’re basically obsessed with each other. It’s not too difficult  a conclusion to draw.”

“This is true. Simon and Baz- living proof that the enemies to friends to lovers trope happens in real life.” Baz quipped, making Simon laugh. Hair finally tied back into an acceptable and non-greasy-looking ponytail, Baz grabbed his bag and water bottle and opened the door. “Ugh, it’s so weird that I’ll never do this routine again. Even though this is only the first time it’s happened at your house.”

“We’ll make new traditions at uni, love. Lots of them.” Simon got up from his bed and tugged on his trainers, picking his keys up from his bedside table and catching up with Baz. “And maybe this could be one of them.” he finished, punctuating each word with a kiss.

“On second thoughts, forget the football. Let’s just stay here and make out. Si, can we stay here and make out, please?”

“Baz, you  _ have  _ to play in the final, you’re one of literally two actually good team members. Later?”

“Definitely. Yeah. Let’s go!”

It was an away game, an hour’s drive away. In the past, Baz had spent this drive sitting in silence in his father’s car, wishing to God it would be over soon and he could leave that house. Now, it was filled with laughter, and Simon scream-singing along to Love Story by Taylor Swift, pointing at Baz whenever the song referred to Romeo. Eventually Baz got control over the music and put on some Coldplay, dramatically lipsyncing (‘because not all of us like to subject our boyfriends to off-key singing,  _ Simon’ _ ) to Hymn For The Weekend. The drive had never felt so short, and so nice, though Simon’s car was significantly smaller and Baz’s long legs were cramped. When they got out of the car to a grassy field wet with dew, they were significantly more optimistic about the outcome of the game, thanks to a pep talk from Simon’s mum over the phone.

“Go kill it out there! I love you! You’re gonna do great!” Simon pulled Baz’s face towards him and kissed him for a few seconds, before Baz pulled away to half-run over to the pitch to warm up. Simon was left with a sappy smile on his face as Baz briefly turned around to wave and blow a kiss before his teammates greeted him.

His romantic thoughts were quickly interrupted by Penny, who had her arm around Agatha, shepherding him towards the stands to get a good seat. They finally found three free ones a few rows above the pitch, and while Agatha and Penny talked with a blanket wrapped around their shoulders against the chill of the evening, Simon frantically looked for Baz. When he spotted him by the goal, his eyes did not waver from watching him for the twenty minutes before the game, even as the girls made pointed comments about being entirely overly-preoccupied by your boyfriend and that it’s creepy to stare. However, when Baz looked in their direction, all three of them waved madly and Baz grinned.

The game finally started, with Baz quickly gaining possession and expertly running it down the pitch toward the goal. He passed it to their striker, who made a shot on the goal which was blocked by the fingertips of the goalie, eliciting a groan from the crowd. The other team got the ball, and Baz pursued, trying to tackle the player and succeeding, before running it back to the goal, having it saved by the goalie, and repeat. Thirty minutes in, the Watford defenders let a ball slip past, and a few minutes later, the other team did too. One-one.

With thirty seconds to go, Baz was running like his life depended on it, the other team’s best player on his heels, all the way down the side of the pitch. Twenty seconds. He deftly dodged one of their defenders, fast and more nimble than you’d think looking at his height. He looked graceful and ruthless and scary, with his piercing eyes and long legs and… Simon was getting distracted. He had to gush about this later to Baz, he had to focus. Ten seconds, Baz was in the penalty box, two defenders and a goalie in the way. He stepped back a little to kick the ball, the crowd holding its breath. His foot connected, and the ball flew into the goal. The goalie stopped it with his fingers, and Simon groaned, but as the goalie was still lying on the floor after diving, Baz ran through and kicked it clear into the net, and suddenly the world was made of sound. It rang in his ears and burned his throat as he screamed and the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game. Penny and Agatha were hugging, and Penny shoved Simon to go down to the pitch. He ran down the steps to the ground, and Baz broke free from his teammates who had attached themselves to him after he scored. Baz sprinted to the edge of the pitch, grabbing Simon around the back of his neck and waist and kissing him.

Somehow the crowd got even louder, Baz’s teammates whistling as Simon dipped Baz (something he later said was a miracle because he didn’t fall over) before standing up and throwing his arms around him. Baz laughed, almost in tears from all the emotions, and kissed him again, before Simon hugged him quickly again and stood back, holding his hands. He had to shout to speak to him.

“I’m- that was  _ amazing,  _ Baz!” Simon yelled. “My throat hurts so much!”

“I- it still hasn’t fully set in. We  _ won!” _ Baz responded. “We’re going out tonight and celebrating.”

“Definitely! I’ll see you outside the changing rooms! Go celebrate with your team!” Simon shouted, kissing Baz again, pressing their foreheads together for a second, before Baz turned around to return to his team, who wrapped arms around his shoulders, and he smiled wider than he ever had before.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoyed.  
> All my football knowledge comes from my dad who's from Manchester, so here we are.  
> My tumblr is [galaxy-houseplants](https://galaxy-houseplants.tumblr.com) if you wanna check it out.


End file.
